


Sacrifice

by HopefulSnow



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Hurt Stephen Strange, Hurt Tony, IronStrange, M/M, Tony Angst, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-20 21:24:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17629970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopefulSnow/pseuds/HopefulSnow
Summary: Tony gets pretty beaten up on the battlefield. While he's getting fixed up by Stephen, Strange contemplates a few things.





	Sacrifice

The dirt seeped into Tony’s suit as he tore off his helmet and struggled to get in a clean breath. The dry air and frigid temperatures made it hard for Tony to breathe properly. 

“Fucking shit.” He whispered, his throat burning. He struggled to move, his body pinned to the terrain.  
He had been thrown into the forest while on a mission and crash landed at least a foot into the ground. Blood soon poured into his sweatsuit, warming his skin with a sticky residue. He felt gashes and bruises press against the metal of his suit and the dirt that found its way underneath. The metal stuck with the sappy blood and glued his gashes to the metal. It was excruciating to feel and hear everything rip and pull. He tried to escape the tomb he had created but only got a few inches out of the ground before he slumped back down, letting out a tired groan. The dirt and dust that had risen clogged this throat and stung his eyes. He struggled to see at least four feet in front of him. He started to panic even more, feeling his stomach lurch. He tore his armored gloves off his hands, inching to feel something. Anything other than his suit. Suddenly his heart rate accelerated as a figure drifted down in front of him and knelt to his side. He let out a raspy cry, trying to crawl away from the image but the figure held onto him tightly, it’s grasp gently yet firm. He couldn’t defend himself. His repulsors failed and F.R.I.D.A.Y. was no longer responsive. All he could do was feel the cold pressure of the shaky hand cling to his wrist.

“It’s me! It’s me! Calm down.” Stephen said softly, his voice immediately drowning Tony’s thoughts in relief. He practically melted into Stephen’s arms as pain quickly came back to him. A rushing alarm sounded in his ears and he suddenly let out a raspy throat burning scream. His limbs cracked and throbbed as Stephen tugged him out of the rut, wincing at every wince and yell that rose from Tony.

“Okay, you’re out,” he said, letting go of Stark and squatting back next to him. He ran his fingers along Tony’s limbs, feeling every bump and ridge of broken and cracked bones. His skin was still smooth and warm to the touch.

“Ah, f-f-fuck.” Tony stuttered, his voice thick with panic and fear. He could almost feel his blood coursing through his veins, nerves exploding at the ends of his fingers and toes. Tears soon rose to the edges of his eyes, pooling all the way up his eyes, cutting his sight short. 

“Hey, you’re gonna be okay,” Stephen assured the engineer softly. He rose a hand to Tony’s face, rubbing his cheek softly with the palm of his hand. The sensation brought Tony a sense of calm to him, just for a moment. He drew in a shaky breath, the sensation of sharp icy daggers pierced his lungs. When he exhaled a large cloud to vapor escaped his mouth, floating up and quickly disappearing within the earth around him.  
“You’re okay, okay?” Stephen said, his voice growing unstable. From the cold? From the circumstances? Tony wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he needed medical attention.

“I need a h-hospital.” Tony muttered, closing his eyes and letting the tears that had filled his eyes, spill down the sides of his face. Stephen quickly wiped them away and nodded. He quickly forged a portal and picked Tony up gently, careful not to disturb the pained man. He walked through the portal leading to his sanctum and silently set Tony onto his bed.

“This isn’t the hospital if you’re aware,” Tony informed, his eyelids drooping as he took in his new surroundings. 

With the fear digging at his heart, Stephen drew out a chuckle, running his hand against Tony’s face once more. 

“I know,” He said, “I can fix you though.”  
Tony nodded, putting all his trust on the table. He knew the wizard could help. He knew Stephen wants to. So he lied motionless on the mattress and braced for the magic to surround him quickly. It didn’t take more than a couple minutes for Stephen to get to work. His spells were precise and dampened with detail. Wong soon joined and helped bring Tony’s bones back to one. 

“How’d you find him?” Wong asked as he was flipping through an old spell book. It took Stephen a while to answer since he wasn’t really the type of sorcerer to talk while working.

“I found him in the forest a few yards away from where we were fighting.” Stephen finally answered. Although his temples were throbbing and his heart pounded in his ears, he was able to compose himself enough to work.

Wong didn’t say much after that and continued to be by his side.

It took almost three days. Stephen did nothing but work on Tony in that period. Many times Wong would venture up to the room and try to persuade Stephen to rest or eat. Stephen refused without a glance.  
Stephen’s eyes were strained and bloodshot by the time he was finished. His hands ached and cramped, curling them didn’t help at all. Hunger pains ate away his stomach and innards, making them gurgle and pulse with newfound ache. His body seemed to slowly shut down as he finally collapsed into a chair, the first time he sat in the three days. 

He looked back at Tony, watching him peacefully sleep. He had put a sleeping spell on him before operating on him and he just needed time to come to. Stephen opted to wait till he opened his eyes to confirm that he was alright.

Stephen had managed to fix all of his broken and cracked bones. He fixed the internal and external bleeding and healed the gashes that decorated the small man’s skin. He also managed to clear his mind for a little while after he wakes up so all of the panic and reality wouldn’t all come crashing down on him at once. He knew how that felt. And it sucked.

“Stephen.” He suddenly heard. He shot up to see Tony open his eyes slowly, wincing as he tried to move on the bed. He was still very much out so it wouldn’t help if Stephen tried to ask what had happened.  
“Hey, how’s it going?’ All Stephen had asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and placing a gentle hand on Tony’s leg. It was no longer bumpy or ridged but smooth and tough. Stephen’s heart relaxed for the first time in three days.

“I’m in a lot of pain,” Tony said, sitting up and exhaling deeply. His voice was hoarse and tired like he woke up for a long nap. Which is what kind of happened. 

He dragged his eyes up to Stephen’s and gasped. The wizard looked awful. His blue ocean eyes were stained red with exhaustion. His hair was disheveled and more gray strands appeared near his sides. His hands were trembling more than usual, matching his shivering shoulders. Every facial feature looked sunken and damp from sweat and tears. Maybe blood too.

“W-what happened?” Tony asked, leaning over a bit to touch Stephen’s hair. It was grainy and thin with stress. “D-did you do this?”

Stephen bowed his head, feeling the sorrow in Tony’s eyes bore into his heart. “ I had to.”  
He looked back up. He would have cried but he had no water in his system. “I couldn’t have let you die.”  
Tony stared on, getting misty himself. He sniffed a little and quickly grabbed Stephen’s hands, receiving a tiny whimper from the wizard. They were jagged and callused from the nonstop spells. Soon if he went on for one more day they would crack and bleed. Tony continued to gaze at the broken fingers in his palms, guilt, and dread growing in the pit of his stomach. 

“Stephen.” Was all he could say at the moment. He continued to hold Strange’s hands, feeling the suffering arise in them.

“You should eat something.” Stephen calmly implied. Tony slowly rose his head and faced Stephen again.  
“I’m not eating until you do,” he said, gaining his voice back. And his stubbornness. Stephen smiled at that and stood from the chair, ignoring the blood rushing to his head all at once.  
“Of course, I’ll be right back.”

Tony didn’t want Stephen to leave him alone but he nodded anyway, watching Stephen disappear around the corner. He let loneliness blanket him as he sat on the bed and inhaled more deeply. His mind was calmer than he had ever felt it. It was quiet and almost slept soundly in his skull. He cherished these moments where Stephen would clear his mind. He didn’t do it often because he was afraid of Tony getting addicted to it. Tony thanked him for that.

After some time Stephen came back with a cup that was steaming quite heavily. “Soup,” he informed Tony, setting it in his hands. 

“Thank you,” Tony answered, taking the soup to his lips and feeling the warm broth hit his mouth and tongue. It ran down his throat smoothly, warming his insides instantly. He looked over at Stephen who crossed his legs on the end of the bed and drank his share, almost devouring the whole thing in one gulp.  
“You could’ve died.” Tony clarified out of nowhere. Stephen, still holding his mug looked up at the engineer and nodded softly. He didn’t want to tell Tony the truth but he knew the guy was smarter than that. He knew he would find out sooner or later and it was much better to tell him at that moment.

“Yes,” He said, taking the mug back to his lips to indicate he was done. Tony suddenly felt a familiar boiling feeling in the pit of his stomach. His rose to his throat and he held the mug tighter. Anger. Then his thoughts came flooding back smashing into the back of his head like a black murky tide. A tide that was always there but only started up again.

“What if…” Tony trailed off. He couldn’t bare say the words aloud. He knew if he did that it would be true. That it could be true. Any day, it could come true whether it would be right in front of his eyes or when he’s nowhere near the man. The thought ping-ponged between his cranium until he felt it throb a dull pain.  
“What if you do die?” He started, his voice, remarkably calm. “What if you die and I live?”

Stephen remained silent, debating this. He had thought of it many times before. If he were to die saving Tony or sacrificing himself, he would really have no problem with that. He wanted Tony to live since he had so much more responsibilities to handle. The kid, his job, his team. Everything he had was so much more important than what Stephen had. Of course, he was the Sorcerer Supreme but many people were training to be just that. Many people were and are more qualified for the career than Stephen ever is. Tony had so many people depending on him. He knew that all too well.

“Then you go on and live your life,” Stephen answered, his tone unshakable yet there was no trace of cold there.

But Tony still shivered. “There’s no way I will let you do that.” He answered. “Ever.”

Stephen shrugged, “it’s my choice and I say if I want to let you live then I will.” 

Tony didn’t have anything else to say at that moment. The only thought there was if Stephen ever did die on Tony’s behalf. If something like this happened but he wasn’t able to save himself. The blame would be pushed to Tony. Tony almost welcomed it. He didn’t want the thought of Stephen dying because he chose to let him live to stay with him. To know that a man chose to sacrifice himself for him. 

Suddenly, Tony’s eyes finally opened. He stared at Stephen, watching his gaze shift back and forth from curiosity to concern. This man would choose to lose his own life to know that Tony was still beating.  
“Come here,” Tony whispered, waving his fingers to him. Stephen hesitated before stepping closer. Tony quickly grabbed at Stephen’s shirt and pulled his face to Stark’s. Their noses were nearly brushing when Tony briskly pulled Stephen into his lips, feeling the sudden inhale of air that Stephen initiated. Both of their hearts pounded like drums as their contact heated thoroughly. When Tony pulled away a soft smacking soft was made.

“You’d sacrifice your life for me?” Tony asked, making sure he heard it right.

“Of course,” Stephen answered, his voice a low delicate whisper. Tony sighed, pulling a little more away to look him in the once again.

“Why?”

Stephen stared back, thinking for a moment. He knew his answer. He always knew the answer to that. But he needed to make sure Tony made sure he would be genuine. He wanted to make sure Tony would believe every word that came out of his mouth. He wanted to make sure he never doubted for a second that he meant every word. 

“Because you’re worth it, Tony Stark.” He answered. He waited as Tony processed everything. It felt like a warm feeling erupted in Tony’s heart. He believed it. 

And what a stupid thing that was. What a stupid thing to promise the man he loves that he would sacrifice his own life for him when he would just see that same man die slowly in his arms as the world crumbles into extinction around them.


End file.
